For active persons such as hikers and back packers, campers or those involved in moving or carrying objects, especially long or awkwardly shaped objects, a rope has long been recognized as an almost necessary accessory. A rope can be used to lift or carry, or to pull, objects that are otherwise awkward to carry, or to carry objects while leaving one or both arms and hands free. One of the disadvantages to using rope for such tasks is the necessity of knotting the rope securely to the object to be carried, i.e., the work piece. Unless the user is adept at tying the proper knots, it is not unusual for the knot to slip or come undone, often with unfortunate consequences. In addition, where only a short length of rope is needed, the question of what to do with any excess length poses a problem. As a consequence, there have been numerous attempts to replace a rope with other means which overcome the inconvenience or disadvantages thereof.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,676,417 of Hirschkoff, there is shown a carrying strap for skis, which is adjustable in length and has carrying loops at each end. The strap performs the same functions as would a rope while eliminating the necessity of tying knots in the rope or otherwise securing it to the skis, and offers easy storage as a belt when not in use. The loops at the ends of the strap are retractable so as to be unobtrusive when the strap is used as a belt, and are formed using Velcro.RTM. material. The loops are adapted to hold a pair of skis and accompanying ski poles, and are secured by the Velcro.RTM. material. The use of such material makes looping the strap around the skis and affixing it both simple and quick. However, Velcro.RTM. fasteners under tension can quickly come apart when the load is too great, and, additionally, the size of the loop is dependent upon the placement of the Velcro.RTM. members.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,760,944 of Hughes, there is shown a sling assembly for bows, rifles, and the like wherein, in the case of the rifle, a mounting member is affixed to the stock of the rifle as by Velcro.RTM. fasteners, and one end of a strap is affixed thereto. The other end of the strap is formed into a noose which loops around the barrel of the gun, and the strap is adjusted to the desired length. The problem with a noose is that it can only be used on objects that it can loop around, and it is therefore somewhat limited in its utility.
In both the Hirschkoff and Hughes devices, the use of Velcro.RTM. limits their utility. Thus, if a user attempts to carry anything heavier than skis, he runs the risk of having the fasteners part. In the Hughes arrangement, it would appear that the fastener is not under as great a stress as in the Hirschkoff device, but under heavy loads the risk of parting of the fastener still exists and increases with load.
Both the Hirschkoff and Hughes devices are specialized in function, each being intended for a specific use. Both arrangements, therefore, lack the degree of universality of use that can be achieved with a simple rope, their only advantages over a rope being length adjustment and no necessity of tying knots.